Howl's Moving Castle
by KinnittyKittywake
Summary: Bookverse fic of Howl's moving castle. An old friend of Howls from Wales is also cursed by the witch of the waste and drawn into the story. Howl x OC, Rated M for later chapters (just in case).
1. Chapter 1

"Howell, wait." Megan's voice held a trace of uncertainty, and Howl stopped in his tracks, although he didn't turn round. "Gwen's back" Howl wheeled round "Gareth didn't want you to know, but she asked me.." Megan trailed off, but then rallied "she's got the little house opposite the tea shop. "Howell she's.. changed from when you, when we all last saw her."

Sophie saw his expression flicker, but he just nodded. Glancing at her and Michael, he fired of a series of what seemed to be questions at his sister in the same strange language he had used with Mari. Megan answered them in the same language and Howls expression became undisguisedly concerned. Abruptly he swung round, opened the door and shooed Sophie and Michael out of the door, throwing a brief "Thanks Meg" over his shoulder.  
Sophie did not wish to remember the next bit. The rode in a horseless carriage at terrifying speed. tearing up and down hills staggeringly steep. She shut her eyes and clung on, and simply hoped it would be over soon.  
Luckily it was. They arrived at a place with houses jammed in tight next to each other, flanking on both sides of the road. Although the buildings appeared to be deserted, Sophie had a feeling that they were not and that the occupants were watching with keen interest. Howl glanced over the road at a building sporting a large window with a lace curtain and a sign tucked in stating 'shop closed', and turned instead to face a house beside him. Sophie and Michael exchanged a look, and Michael shrugged, and the followed Howl up the path to the door of the house.

The door was cracked open almost the same moment Howls knuckles met the shabby wood door. A bright blue eye peered at them suspiciously and, once it had taken in Howl, the door was flung wide open.  
"Howl!" the occupant exclaimed, before flinging herself into his open arms with a laugh. "Come in, come in!" She untangled herself from Howl and ushered them into the building. As Sophie passed the young woman on the way in, she noticed how nervously Gwen, for this must surely be who Megan referred to, looked into the street over Sophie's shoulder, and how the door was bolted closed behind her.

"Please, do sit down" the young woman gestured for Sophie to take a seat in the chair she had clearly just been occupying. She grasped up a bundle of wool and shoved it onto a small table set in front of a sofa, which she now gestured Michael and Howl to take.  
As the woman now hurried around clearing up and muttering distracted apologies for the mess, Sophie idly looked round. The small room was sparsely furnished, and what little furniture present was shabby and worn, though deftly patched and repaired. It did not look like there was a lot of money to spare. As Sophie's gaze landed on Howl, she realized that he was also taking in the room. Concern was in his eyes although he kept it off his face.  
The woman offered tea to them all and, at their acceptance, disappeared into another room to make it. On her return, Howl stood up to help her with the tray and appeared to remember Sophie and Michael's presence.  
"Michael, Sophie, this is Gwen Parry, Megan's Sister in Law and my dearest friend. Gwen, this is Michael Fisher, my apprentice and Sophie Hatter, my Cleaner"  
If Gwen thought it strange that Howl was bringing his apprentice and cleaning lady with him to visit friends, she didn't show it. She was blushing furiously at his reference to her as his dearest friend. Howl glanced at her face and then did a double take. He reached and turned Gwen's face to him. Her smile had frozen on her face and she defiantly held his gaze for a moment, then looked away.  
"If I'd have know you would suddenly turn up I'd have made better attempts with make up" she muttered. She met Sophie and Michael's curious gaze. They couldn't see what had caught his attention. "You must forgive him his manners, his eye for attention has noticed my make up is rather thick over a bruise. I fell over and it doesn't do to give the locals more to talk about" She smiled at them. Howl sat down again, frowning, and addressed Gwen rapidly in the foreign language. Sophie took this opportunity to study Howl's 'dearest friend'. She was younger then Howl, but a little older then Sophie should have been. She was nearly as tall as Michael, and held herself rigidly upright. Her hair mink brown hair was tied back from her face in a severe bun, and sported several gold hoops in each lobe, and a 2 more in the cartilage of her left. She was very thin in a way that suggested too little food and too much work.  
By the time the conversation in the foreign tongue was finished the tea was half drunk and Howl was looking concerned.  
"Where are your manners though Howl, using Welsh when your companions do not" Gwen seemed quite glad to change the subject. She spoke with a the same lilt Megan had, though her voice was more gentle. Howl had the same lilt, Sophie realized, though his was so slight as to be un-noticed. "Howl and Megan grew up with Gareth and I, we were children together. We were quite the double act until Howl went off to university"  
Howl smiled at the recollection. "I was your excuse to get in trouble I recall"  
Gwen chuckled. "The last I saw you was Mari's christening. What have you been doing in that time since? An apprentice, a cleaner.. Megan doesn't seem to think you have any job at all, least all one that can carry an apprentice too."  
Howl looked distinctly uncomfortable. "It's not something she'd find respectable, so I haven't told her about it" He said slowly.  
Gwen looked keenly at him and shot a quick glance to Michael. "I'll wager I could name your trade in one guess, but I shan't if you're trying to protect Meg's sensibilities. You've quite the reputation now, far worse then last I saw you" Howl was positively squirming now, but Gwen seemed amused. "Gareth kept saying it was such a good think I blossomed after you'd left" She laughed as she said this. Sophie got the distinct impression that Gwen didn't believe she'd blossomed at all.

"Megan said he'd told her not to tell me you'd come back" he said sadly. Gwen frowned. "We'll he'll answer for that. For all the you did to Myfanwy, you shielded me from some right lollocks" "I didn't do anything to her!" Howl protested "She thought-"

"I know what she thought, Howl, you don't need to explain it to me" Gwen forestalled him and glanced at Sophie, who realized that she was leaning forwards to hear what Howl had done to Myfanwy. Michael was also listening raptly. "My sister" Gwen explained "Took a.. fancy to Howl, some years ago-" Howl interrupted Gwen in panicked Welsh, but just Gwen laughed and replied in the same, then asked "So what brings you to the valleys today?" She looked at Michael and Sophie. "Neils homework" Howl answered "I ended up with it and he ended up with a paper of mine, which he's given to his teacher"

"Miss Angorian? I bet that went down well. That woman is a demon in disguise, I'm sure. Never had the misfortune to have to deal with such a mare as that one" Gwen grimaced.  
A clock started to toll from somewhere else in the building and Gwen jumped up looking striken. "Damn! I'm sorry, I've got to be at work in half an hour"  
Howl stood up, Sophie and Michael following suit. "That's ok, we had best be getting on anyway"  
They all made their way to the door and when outside Gwen turned to Howl "Are you staying locally or will you be flitting off again? I finish at the stable around 8, we could go to the pub?" Howl grinned, "Sounds a plan"  
"Excellent" She hugged him and then strode off up the road. Howl watched her until she was out of sight, and sighed, shaking his head at some thought.  
"Let's get this teacher dealt with then"


	2. Chapter 2

The group made its way over the road to the shop with the large window. There appeared to be no one in but when Howl pressed a button at a small door beside the window, Miss Angorian opened the door. They all stared at her. For a fierce schoolteacher, Miss Angorian was astonishingly young and slender and good-looking. She had sheets of blue-black hair hanging round her olive-brown heart-shaped face, and enormous dark eyes. The only thing which suggested fierceness about her was the direct and clever way those enormous eyes looked and seemed to sum them up.

"I ll take a small guess that you may be Howell Jenkins" Miss Angorian said to Howl. She had a low, melodious voice that was nevertheless rather amused and quite sure of itself.

Howl was taken aback for an instant. Then his smile snapped on. And that, Sophie thought, was goodbye to the pleasant dreams of Lettie and Mrs. Fairfax. For Miss Angorian was exactly the kind of lady someone like Howl could be trusted to fall in love with on the spot.

And not only Howl. Michael was staring admiringly too. And though all the houses around were apparently deserted, Sophie had no doubt that they were full of people who all knew both Howl and Miss Angorian and were watching with interest to see what would happen, especially after seeing him greated so enthusiastically over the road.

She could feel their invisible eyes. Market Chipping was like that too.

"And you must be Miss Angorian" said Howl. "I m sorry to bother you, but I made a stupid mistake last week and carried off my nephew s English homework instead of a rather important paper I had with me. I gather Neil gave it to you as proof that he wasn t shirking."

"He did" said Miss Angorian. "You d better come in and collect it."

Sophie was sure the invisible eyes in all the houses goggled and the invisible necks craned as Howl and Michael and she trooped in through Miss Angorian s door and up a flight of stairs to Miss Angorian s tiny, severe living room.

Miss Angorian said considerately to Sophie, "Won t you sit down?"

Sophie was still shaking from that horseless carriage. She sat down gladly on one of the two chairs. It was not very comfortable. Miss Angorian s room was not designed for comfort but for study. Though many of the things in it were strange, Sophie understood the walls of books, and the piles of paper on the table, and the folders stacked on the floor. She sat and watched Michael staring sheepishly and Howl turning on his charm.

"How is it you come to know who I am?" Howl asked beguilingly.

"You seem to have caused a lot of gossip in this town" Miss Angorian said, busy sorting through papers on the table.

"And what have those people who gossip told you?" Howl asked. He leaned languishingly on the end of the table and tried to catch Miss Angorian s eye.

"That you disappear and turn up rather unpredictably, for one thing" Miss Angorian said.

And what else? Howl followed Miss Angorian s movements with such a look that Sophie knew Lettie s only chance was for Miss Angorian to fall instantly in love with Howl too.

But Miss Angorian was not that kind of lady. She said, "Many other things, few of them to your credit" and caused Michael to blush by looking at him and Sophie in a way that suggested these things were not fit for their ears. She held a yellowish wavy-edged paper out to Howl. "Here it is" she said severely. "Do you know what it is?"

"Of course" said Howl.

"Then please tell me" said Miss Angorian.

Howl took the paper. There was a bit of a scuffle as he tried to take Miss Angorian s hand with it. Miss Angorian won the scuffle and put her hands behind her back. Howl smiled meltingly and passed the paper to Michael. "You tell her" he said.

Michael s blushing face lit up as soon as he looked at it. "It s the spell! Oh, I can do this one-it s enlargement, isn t it?"

"That s what I thought" Miss Angorian said rather accusingly. "I d like to know what you were doing with such a thing."

"Miss Angorian" said Howl, "if you have heard all those things about me, you must know I wrote my doctoral thesis on charms and spells.

You look as if you suspect me of working black magic! I assure you, I never worked any kind of spell in my life" Sophie could not stop herself making a small snort at this blatant lie. "With my hand on my heart" Howl added, giving Sophie an irritated frown," this spell is for study purposes only. It s very old and rare. That s why I wanted it back."

"Well, you have it back" Miss Angorian said briskly. "Before you go, would you mind giving me my homework sheet in return?

Photocopies cost money."

Howl brought out the gray paper willingly and held it just out of reach. "This poem now" he said. "It s been bothering me. Silly, really!-but I can t remember the rest of it. By Walter Raleigh, isn t it?"

Miss Angorian gave him a withering look. "Certainly not. It s by John Donne and it s very well known indeed. I have the book with it in here, if you want to refresh your memory."

"Please," said Howl, and from the way his eyes followed Miss Angorian as she went to her wall of books, Sophie realized that this was the real reason why Howl had come into this strange land where his family lived. But Howl was not above killing two birds with one stone. "Miss Angorian" he said pleadingly, following her contours as she stretched for the book, "would you consider coming out for some supper with me tonight?"

Miss Angorian turned round with a large book in her hands, looking more severe than ever. "I would not" she said. "Mr. Jenkins, I don t know what you've heard about me, but you must have heard that I still consider myself engaged to Ben Sullivan-"

"Never heard of him" said Howl.

"My fiance", said Miss Angorian. "He disappeared some years back.

Now, do you wish me to read this poem to you?"

"Do that," Howl said, quite unrepentant. "You have such a lovely voice."

"Then I ll start with the second verse" Miss Angorian said, "since you have the first verse there in your hand" She read very well, not only melodiously, but in a way which made the second verse fit the rhythm of the first, which in Sophie s opinion it did not do at all:

_If thou be'est born to strange sights,_

_Things invisible to see,_

_Ride ten thousand days and nights_

_Till age snow white hairs on thee._

_Thou, when thou returnest, wilt tell me_

_All strange wonders that befell thee,_

_And swear_

_No where_

_Lives a woman true, and fair._

_If thou-_

Howl had gone a terrible white. Sophie could see sweat standing on his face. "Thank you, he said. Stop there. I won t trouble you for the rest. Even the good woman is untrue in the last verse, isn t she? I remember now. Silly of me. John Donne, of course." Miss Angorian lowered the book and stared at him. He forced up a smile. "We must be going now. Sure you won t change your mind about supper?"

"I will not" said Miss Angorian. "Are you quite well, Mr. Jenkins?"

"In the pink" Howl said, and he hustled Michael and Sophie away down the stairs and into the horrible horseless carriage. The invisible watchers in the houses must have thought Miss Angorian was chasing them with a saber, if they judged from the speed with which Howl packed them into it and drove off.

"What s the matter?" Michael asked as the carriage went roaring and grinding uphill again and Sophie clung to bits of seat for dear life.

Howl pretended not to hear. So Michael waited until Howl was locking it into its shed and asked again.

"Oh, nothing" Howl said airily, leading the way back to the yellow house called RIVENDELL. "The Witch of the Waste has caught up with me with her curse, that s all. Bound to happen sooner or later." He seemed to be calculating or doing sums in his head while he opened the garden gate. "Ten thousand," Sophie heard him murmur.

"That brings it to about Midsummer Day."

"What is brought to Midsummer Day?" asked Sophie.

"The time I ll be ten thousand days old", Howl said. "And that, Mrs.

Nose" he said, swinging into the garden of RIVENDELL, "is the day I shall have to go back to the Witch of the Waste." Sophie and Michael hung back on the path, staring at Howl s back, so mysteriously labeled WELSH RUGBY. "If I keep clear of mermaids," they heard him mutter, "and don t touch a mandrake root-"

Michael called out, "Do we have to go back into that house? and Sophie called out, What will the Witch do?"

"I shudder to think," Howl said. "You don t have to go back in, Michael."

He opened the wavy-glass door. Inside was the familiar room of the castle. Calcifer s sleepy flames were coloring the walls faintly blue-green in the dusk. Howl flung back his long sleeves and gave Calcifer a log.

"She caught up, old blueface," he said.

"I know" said Calcifer. "I felt it take."


	3. Chapter 3

Despite the threat of the Witch's curse hanging over his head, Howl disappeared back off to the strange country that evening and did not return until Sophie and Michael had long since gone to bed.  
It was relatively late in the morning when he came bounding down the stairs, wafting lavender scent about, announced that he was going out for the day and left through the Kingsbury door.  
Sophie spent the day sewing, and told Calcifer about the strange country where Howl's family lived. Calcifer was very interested. "I knew he came from foreign parts," he said "But this sounds like another world entirely. Clever of the witch to send the curse in from there. Very clever all round. That's magic I admire, using something that already exists and turning it round into a curse. I did wonder about it when you and Michael were reading it the other day. That fool Howl told her too much about himself"  
Sophie gazed at Calcifer's thin blue face. It did not suprise her to find Calcifer admired the curse, anymore tan it suprised her when he called Howl a fool. He was always insulting Howl. But she could never work out if Calcifer really Howl. Calicfer looked so evil anyway it was hard to tell.  
Calcifer moved his orange eyes to look into Sophie's. "I'm scared too," he said "I shall suffer with Howl if the Witch cathes him. If you don't break the contratc before she does, I wont be able to help you at all".  
But before Sophie could ask more, Howl came dashing in. He neatly slithered out of Michael's inquiry of where he had been and promptly went back out again, this time turning the knob black down.'To see Miss Angorian I'll bet' Sophie thought.  
She, Michael and Calcifer had a quiet evening, and were just considering having an early night when there was a thunderous knocking on the door. They all looked at each other in suprise and Michael stood up to go and open the door. He wasn't quick enough, the door was given another thunderous pummeling and flew open. "Gwen!" gasped Sophie, recognizing the woman who had just fallen face first through the door.  
Michael hurried forward but with the speed of a striking snake Gwen was up, slamming the door shut, and shooting forwards where she collided with Michael and slid to the ground, gasping like she couldn't breath.  
"she's from the other country? That's not possible! She can't have done that on her own!" Calcifer was shouting, evidently horrified at this breach in his security. "Sophie she can't breath!" Came Michael's panicked voice. Gwen was very pale, her frantic attempts to stand up were slowing, and her hand grasping Michael's shirt was falling limp. Her hair was disarrayed and the back of her shirt could have been described as singed, except the singe was a vibrant peacock blue. Sophie too a deep breath.  
"Michael, get her onto the sofa. Calcifer, does she feel evil?" "No" Calcifer admitted. He frowned a minute as he took stock of some internal checklist "She's been shoved through by something powerful I think. Whatever it is is waiting the other side of the door for her. It feels like a curse, but it's not possible to outrun a curse.." He trailed off, thinking. "It feels like something to do with the Witch, the power of it" He said this slowly, and peered out of the grate at the woman, now lying on the sofa and completely unconscious.  
Sophie frowned, immediately following his train of thought. "The curse wont even kick in until Midsummer" Calcifer nodded, "True. Looks like Howl's friend upset someone then" "Sophie?" Michael cut in. Sophie hurried forwards to the jars and packets near the work bench. "where's the mint?" Michael found some and Sophie quickly started crushing it. "Calcifer, I'm sorry but we're going to need hot water. We need steam"  
For once not grumbling, Calcifer quickly boiled the kettle Michael placed on him. When it was hot Sophie added the mint in eye watering quantities and soon the room was full of the sharp scented steam. About half an hour of this saw Gwen's laboured breathing ease to just a faint wheezing. "Can you do anything for her Calcifer?" Michael asked, "Not without Howl" said Calcifer with a shrug.  
"We'll just have to wait then" said Sophie.  
It was quite late when Howl finally came back, and they had all been dozing. "What on earth have you been doing Sophie?" asked Howl as he walked into the room, pulling a face as the smell of the last of the mint hit him. "You should have been here 3 hours ago" said Sophie sleepily, before she memory hit her and she sat bolt upright "Howl-" She started urgently, but he had already seen the prone figure "What the hell's been going on?" "Howl" Calcifer broke in "Look at her". Howl frowned and strode over "Jesus!"He spun round. "Something was chasing her, it was powerful enough to push her through the castle ahead of it. She outran it" Calcifer explained, but Sophie didn't think Howl was listening. He was studying his friend's face intently and listening to the wheezing. He stood abruptly and lifted Gwen up from the sofa, and came to stand before Calcifer. Sophie and Michael watched silently, and felt the soft backlash of magic that passed between the Wizard and the demon.  
Immediately Gwen's laboured breathing eased and Howl sank to his knees still holding her. He glanced up at Sophie, "She always had terrible trouble asthma" he said "well done for the mint"  
Now breathing freely, Gwen started to stir. Later Sophie had to admit she had never seen anyone go from unconcious oblivion through to proverbially working a full plough team quite like it. 'Most women waking up in Howls arms would probably go through the whole where-am-i routine' she thought.  
Gwen gave a feeble twitch and then, as if her brain suddenly hotwired her body, her eyes snapped open and she shot up like a jack in the box, looking around wildly and with undisguised terror. Howl stood up quickly too and grasped her shoulders "Whoa, Gwen, It's me! You're fine! What happenend? How did you get here?"  
Gwen's mouth opened and moved but no speech came out. She frowned and tried again, before looking up at Howl in mute terror. "Ok, so she didn't run quiet fast enough" Said Calcifer, clearly attempting to lighten the mood. Gwen spun round to look at Calcifer and shot backwards out of Howl's grip before falling over a chair. She put her head in her hands and Sophie had the distinct impression she was trying to test if this was a dream.  
Howl approached her slowly and knelt in front of her, he reached a hand onto her shoulder again and spoke softly in the language from the other country. Gwen looked up and Howl spoke more. He spoke at some length, periodically eliciting nods or headshakes, until at last he stood up and hauled Gwen to her feet. He led her back in front of the fireplace and gestured at Clacifer, saying something else. She nodded and knelt down in front of Calcifer, looking at him intently. "Hello Gwen" said Calcifer, clearly trying hard to appear friendly. Gwen smiled at him, a little uncertainly, but clearly trying to reciprocate the gesture. "You remember Sophie, and Michael?" Howl asked. Gwen nodded. "Excellent. They'll show you around. Calcifer, hot water please" Howl turned quickly and strode off up the stairs.

The four of them watched him disappear and Calcifer broke the silence. "Would you like a hot drink?" Gwen nodded, and Sophie fetched the kettle. "You weren't that generous to me when I turned up!" "That was different, Gwen here clearly has untapped talents to outrun a curse like that" Sophie gave him a sharp look as she placed the kettle on him, wondering if he had plans to get Gwen in on the contract breaking too, but found Gwen was already frowning at him. She opened her mouth to speak but on finding no voice came out she frowned even further. "I think we have a slate somewhere" said Michael eagerly "I could get it and you could write what happened!" Gwen looked at Michael and then dropped her gaze to the floor, blushing furiously. She slowly shook her head. Michael looked puzzled, but Sophie understood what she was trying to say. "Can you write?" She asked gently. Gwen wouldn't look up and shook her head again. Michael looked astounded. " You can't write? Can you not read either?" Another head shake. She slowly sat down on the floor by Calcifer and hugged her knees to her chest, still not meeting anyone's eye. Michael flushed slightly, realising that he was the source of more discomfort, and muttered his goodnights before hurrying up the stairs.

The kettle started to sing and Sophie made Gwen a cup of tea. "Will you be ok on the sofa tonight? We can sort out something better tomorrow" she asked. Gwen nodded, taking the tea out of Sophies hands. She gestured at the cup and then gave Sophie a smile, clearly trying to say 'thank you'.  
Sophie wondered what to say to her to comfort her, but Calcifer spoke first. "Can you really not read and write?" Gwen shook her head. "Would you like to?" Gwens expression was cautious as she nodded. "Right, well we can teach you. Can't we Sophie?" Sophie was taken aback but quickly agreed, and her heart was warmed by the glimmer of hope suddenly shining in Gwen's face.


End file.
